A Tortured Beginning
by LucyCarter-MD
Summary: So far this is Lucy and Carter story but not a romance yet. A couple of cuss words and some suggestions of sex.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I probably never will. Please don't sue.  
  
Authors note: This follows the show quite loosely so no need to worry about spoilers or anything because there aren't any. The only thing you really need to know is that this happens before the stabbings and before exam room six.  
  
1 A TORTURED BEGINNING  
  
Lucy couldn't believe her luck when she got to work Monday morning. Normally Dr. Carter, was on her case about everything but today he was being really nice for some reason. It was absolutely amazing because the last time she had seen him was on Friday and she had gotten him in a lot of trouble. She had accidentally told Kerry about him letting her perform a procedure she wasn't qualified for yet. Lucy thought that Kerry would be proud of her for doing it so well but instead she was upset with Carter for letting her do it. Kerry had pulled him aside and yelled at him for almost half an hour about how stupid it was and how that little stunt had probably cost him a position as Chief Resident next year.  
  
He in turn pulled Lucy aside and yelled at her. While Kerry's comments to him were directed towards him professionally, Carter's towards her were personal. She could feel her face burning in embarrassment as she remembered what he said to her. He told her how he couldn't trust her with anything and how trying to help her had cost him and how he was never going to do anything nice for her again. Tears started to sting her eyes as his last sentence to her was repeated in her head, "So help me God you idiot, I'm going to make you feel as humiliated as I did today. Even if it's the last thing I do."  
  
Everyone that heard about what happened had gotten mad at Carter, they didn't think that him taking his anger out on her was appropriate. She didn't know that she was supposed to keep it a secret from Kerry. Coming in Monday morning Lucy was tense wondering how Carter would act towards her but he acted like it didn't even happen. Then she messed up an IV and he didn't yell at her. She had been chatting non-stop and he didn't tell her to shut up even once. It was already 6:30 and he hadn't scowled, smirked, or yelled at her even once. "It must be my lucky day," she said as she was getting ready to go home in the lounge.  
  
"And why is that?"  
  
She jumped a little bit and turned around. Upon seeing Carter there smiling at her she started to blush furiously. "Oh hi, Dr. Carter, I didn't hear you come in."  
  
"So," he asked conversationally, "Have any big plans for tonight? Any hot dates?"  
  
She shook her head and went back to taking her coat out of her locker. "Why was he being so nice to me?" she asked herself.  
  
"Well," he said as he walked up and helped her into her coat, "I think that we need to remedy that."  
  
Without meaning to she raised an eyebrow. Little warning signals went of in her head, he not acting like himself. He was acting like himself, acting like he acted around pretty girls that he liked, not how he acted around her. He never showed her any positive attention. She couldn't figure out what he was up to, but she could have sworn that he was flirting with her. Lucy didn't really have any romantic interest in the guy, he was entirely too much of an arrogant ass for her to even consider a relationship with him but she was intrigued nevertheless at the possibility of getting to know him better. She couldn't figure out anything about him but wanted to try and be his friend, at least for the sake of having a happier working environment.  
  
"Lucy, I would love to take you out to dinner tonight. Are you busy?" he asked.  
  
Wow. He had been flirting with you. She was flabbergasted, "Yes, uh no, uh what time?"  
  
He smiled at her and kissed her cheek. "I'll pick you up from your dorm at 8:00. Bye." With that he walked out the door leaving a very stunned Lucy to try and figure out what had happened.  
  
It was exactly 8:00 by the time that she finished putting on her make-up and getting dressed. She figured that Carter was the type to be unbearably punctual and she was right. The moment that the clocked clicked over to 8:00 she heard a knock on the door. It was him. He was wearing a dark blue suit and looked groomed to perfection. Suddenly she felt very self- conscious in her long black skirt and form-fitting sweater. He was dressed like a doctor and she like some kind of high school student.  
  
He handed her flowers and walked in. "You look wonderful tonight Lucy," he told her. She started blushing again.  
  
"Thank you. I don't feel like it though. I'm dressed like your kid sister. I think that I'm going to change."  
  
He looked her up and down. "Don't. I like they way you look." He took her hand and kissed it puller her closer to him with his other arm around her waist. "I think that you look incredible and you know I would tell you if you looked otherwise."  
  
They walked out to his jeep and he held the door for her. He got in and started driving before she actually got the nerve to ask him what was going on. She couldn't stand it anymore so she just came out and questioned his motives.  
  
"What's going on tonight, Dr. Carter? Is this a date or am I miss reading this?" She looked at him with the most serious look in her eyes.  
  
He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "I think that 'Dr. Carter is a little formal for tonight, call me John."  
  
She squeezed his hand back still somewhat confused though, "Ok John. Where are we going tonight?"  
  
"It's a surprise."  
  
"A surprise?"  
  
The surprise turned out to be L'Ethiks. Lucy couldn't believe it. How could Carter afford something like this? The Marti 'd took them and seated them in a quiet secluded corner. Lucy was trying to not be so wide-eyed and impressed. Carter wasn't acting in the least bit impressed; he just sat there watching her as she gawked at everything. The huge ceilings, crystal chandeliers, wonderful paintings, the other patrons. Everything was so elegant.  
  
He leaned across the table and whispered to her, "Lucy, if you keep staring at the table across from us that gentleman is going to get the wrong idea about you."  
  
She blushed and giggled. "Sorry, I think that guy is the mayor though. Doesn't it look like him?"  
  
Carter turned around to look too. "Hey your right Lucy, it sure is." They mayor looked at him and waved and Carter waved back. Lucy's jaw dropped.  
  
"You know the mayor?" she asked him incredulously.  
  
"My grandparents contributed to his campaign fund. I met him at one of their dinner parties."  
  
She had felt many things towards Carter in the past, anger, respect, compassion, hurt, but never had she felt intimidated by him and that feeling was worrying her. Trying to brush it off she decided to stop looking at her surroundings and instead study the menu. She had taken French in high school and was hoping that if the menu was in French she would remember enough to order something that she actually wanted. Everything was in French but without prices. A small little worry crease formed in her forehead.  
  
John noticed it too. "What's the matter," he asked as he peered at her over the top of his own menu.  
  
She blushed again and in a whisper explained her embarrassing situation, "There aren't any prices on the menu."  
  
"So?"  
  
The blush turned a shade deeper, "I only brought thirty dollars with me. I don't want to order something that I can't pay for."  
  
His laugh rang in her ears and she almost started to cry. It wasn't her fault that she wasn't born to the fabulously wealthy was it? It wasn't her fault that she only had a certain amount of money to spend on food per month and couldn't blow it all on one dinner was it? He stopped laughing when her saw her face. She really was embarrassed.  
  
"I don't see what's so funny."  
  
Once again he picked up her hand but she pulled it away from him. If he wanted to make fun of her then she was going to pout. He picks it up again and doesn't let go when she tries to pull it away again. "I'll tell you what I think is so funny. The fact that you think that I'm the type of guy who would invite a beautiful woman on a dinner date and then expect her to pay for herself."  
  
Her heart skipped a beat at his words. He said it was a date. Whoa. This was so wrong. The man across from her was her teacher and she was on a date with him. And she was excited that it was a date. She had tried her hardest to ignore the feelings of attraction that she had towards him for so long but it was getting harder to do with him sitting across the table from him. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even realize that he had ordered wine for them until the steward was filling her glass. She was confused enough by her feelings and by his intentions that she didn't want to put herself into a situation where she couldn't make an intelligent decision, which happened every time she drank. Not being able to hold her liquor was quite a liability at times. "What the hell," she though as she lifted her glass to drink, "Tonight will be a night to throw caution to the wind. I'm on a date with my teacher, I might as well have a glass or two of wine. Besides he's driving not me."  
  
  
  
To be continued….. 


	2. The Bad Fight

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I probably never will. Please don't sue.  
  
Authors note: This follows the show quite loosely so no need to worry about spoilers or anything because there aren't any. The only thing you really need to know is that this happens before the stabbings and before exam room six.  
  
1 A TORTURED BEGINNING  
  
Three glasses of wine later, Lucy is beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. She could tell that she was getting giggly but she also noticed that Carter was too. The entire dinner they spent telling stories of their childhood and from medical school. Lucy was laughing so much that her sides began to hurt. Eventually though they had finished dinner and desert. Carter had paid and they found themselves in his Jeep still talking and joking.  
  
"I can't believe that it is almost midnight already," Lucy exclaims when she looks at her watch.  
  
"Me neither. I can't tell you the last time that I had this much fun though."  
  
"This was so much fun. You're quite a decent human being away from work John."  
  
He smiles and winks at her, "You too Miss. Knight."  
  
"I don't want this evening to be over though. I'm worried though that you'll forget about all this and go back to screaming at me every time you see me tomorrow."  
  
"I won't forget," he starts up the car engine, "Kerry is gone for the weekend so if you would like you could come over and watch a movie or something."  
  
After a quick stop at the video store and a minor heated debate on whether they should see Ace Ventura or Billy Madison, they arrived at Kerry's house. They entered in through the front door and headed to his room to watch the movie.  
  
"You live in the basement?" Lucy asked him as they descended down a set of stairs.  
  
"Yeah. It's a really good deal for me though. Cheap rent and someone who cooks."  
  
"You can't cook?"  
  
"I burn toast."  
  
His room was large though simply decorated. It didn't have a definite style but you could tell that the furnishings were pricey. In the middle of the room was a large bed with a fluffy down comforter on it and a ton of colorful pillows. Lucy ran over and jumped on.  
  
"Ooh. Cozy. Big."  
  
"What you don't like those little twin sized plastic mattresses beds that you get in the dorms?" He joked with her and she ignored him wrapping the comforter around her to get warm. While she was making herself comfortable, he put the tape in and started it. Then turning off the lights he climbed into bed beside Lucy.  
  
"I'm not that type of girl," she whispered and giggled in his ear as the movie started.  
  
"Well, Miss Knight, may I at least put my arm around your shoulders?"  
  
She turned and faced him. Her eyes staring into his for a moment. "Only if you kiss me first."  
  
He didn't need any more prodding and took her into his arms and kissed her. The movie was totally forgotten as one kiss progressed into many. Shirts started to be removed and soon after that a bra. Hands were roaming. His over her creamy soft skin and hers through his hair. He rolled her onto her back and started to remove her skirt.  
  
"John, wait."  
  
He pauses, hands still on the zipper to her skirt.  
  
"I don't think that I'm ready for all this yet. This was our first date."  
  
John smiles at her and caresses her face. "I know how you feel. I've never done anything like this before either. Somehow it just feels so right with you though."  
  
She pulls him down to her and kisses him. "I love you," she whispers to him as his hands finish unzipping her skirt and removing it.  
  
Later that night they lay there cuddling and beginning to fall asleep John reaches over and brushes a lock of hair out of her face while looking at her. "I love you too."  
  
Lucy's shift starts at 3PM the next day while Carter's started at noon. On his way to the hospital he dropped her off at her dorm with a kiss and went to work. She was walking on air the entire morning acting completely in love. By the time that she got to the hospital all she could think about was how wonderful the previous evening had been and how she couldn't wait to see him again.  
  
Luckily he was in the lounge when she arrived at work. Running over to him she gave him a big hug and kiss. "I missed you," she told him. He hugged her back but she could tell that there was something wrong. Lucy pulled back from him and looked at him. She couldn't tell what the look he was giving her meant but she knew that it wasn't good. "What's the matter," she asked him as a group of doctors entered the lounge.  
  
He scowls at her, "What do you think that you are doing?"  
  
"I just gave you a hug. I'm sorry I didn't know that you were against PDA. I'm sorry I realize that we have to be careful around the hospital."  
  
"Just don't touch me," he glances up to see Malucci, Dr. Greene, Haleh, and Luka trying not to watch what was going on.  
  
"What's the matter John," she asks him, a look of hurt in her eyes. Last night he loved her and this morning he can't stand her. She doesn't understand what's going on. He looks down and sees the confusion in her eyes, taking a deep breath he braces himself to completely hurt and devastate her in front of the staff of the ER.  
  
"I don't know what impression you got from me last night but I think that it is the wrong one."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, we are not together. We are not dating. It was a one time mistake on my part."  
  
"You don't mean that."  
  
"I do. And quit looking so damn mopey. I've already had enough of you today and you haven't even clocked in yet."  
  
"Why are you doing this," she asks him as the tears start to well up in her eyes.  
  
"I'm not doing anything. I'm just letting you know how it is."  
  
"What about last night? Didn't that mean anything to you?"  
  
"Sorry. It didn't though. I was feeling horny and that's about it."  
  
"You said you loved me!" She screamed at him, tears falling uncontrollably from her eyes while he stood there watching her unemotionally.  
  
"I said that to fuck you and that's all. That's all last night was to me. A cheap fuck. And that's all that you are to me too. A cheap fuck."  
  
She knocked him back into the lockers. Her little body shaking from heartbreak and rage she was simultaneously experiencing. She looks at him and slowly begins to speak in as calm of a voice as she can manage, "Up until this moment I loved you. I don't anymore. I don't even care about you anymore. As of right now you are nothing to me. I care so little for you that I don't even hate you." With that she turns and walks out of the ER. 


	3. Who Knew He Had A Soul

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I probably never will. Please don't sue.  
  
Authors note: This follows the show quite loosely so no need to worry about spoilers or anything because there aren't any. The only thing you really need to know is that this happens before the stabbings and before exam room six.  
  
1 A TORTURED BEGINNING  
  
The world fell out from under him. What did he just do? How could he hurt her like that? She really loved him. He shook off those thoughts as he turned to finish getting some stuff out of his locker.  
  
Mark, Luka, and Dave stood looking at each other, not believing what they just saw and heard. Haleh had gone after Lucy when she left to make sure she was ok. Dave couldn't believe it. Lucy was a nice girl. Sure sometimes she could be a little irritating but she seemed to really care for Carter and he just completely used her. He had never really liked Carter but he hadn't hated him either. That had changed though. Now he couldn't stand the bastard. The rage that was festering inside him was finally released as he walked over to Carter, spun him around, and sucker punched him right in the gut.  
  
Carter doubles over and holds his stomach. "What the hell is your problem Malucci?" he asks through clenched teeth.  
  
"Just think of it like this, right now you are probably still in less pain than Lucy is." Having said that Dave walks out of the lounge followed by a still silent Mark and Luka. Outside the lounge though rumors are already circulating. Abby runs over to Luka to find out what he knows about the screaming and Lucy running out of the building. He looks around at everyone watching him and whispers to her that he will tell her later.  
  
The rest of the day passed like usual for Dr. Carter with the exception that people were treating him like dirt and not speaking to him unless absolutely necessary. He didn't care though. He felt so guilty for being such a jerk that he couldn't stand it. It wasn't his style to be petty or to hold grudges but that is what he did with Lucy. He told her that he was going to embarrass her in front of a bunch of people and he did. How was he supposed to know that she really loved him? He hadn't planned on breaking her heart that was just an unfortunate and unexpected side effect. Even though he spent the day trying to convince himself that he was in someway justified for doing what he did he couldn't and decided that when she came back he would apologize to her and to everyone that saw it.  
  
He was never given the chance though. The day ended and nobody had heard from her or seen her and whenever he asked the desk clerks about it they ignored him. The next day she didn't show up again either or the next. By this time Kerry had returned from her vacation and called John into her office. When he got there he saw that Romano was also there.  
  
He sat looking at her from across the desk trying not to make any eye contact with Romano knowing that it was going to be bad. He knew that they knew what had happened and were not happy about it. Anytime Kerry heard people gossiping about it she started yelling at them. A glimmer of hope rested in his heart though because there was a chance that Kerry would tell him what had happened to Lucy and when she would be back. A horrible thought crossed his mind though. What if she had been fired? What they did broke hospital regulation? Shit. I'm going to be fired, he thought.  
  
"Tell me what happened," was all Kerry said to him.  
  
He started at the beginning. First with how pissed he was about Lucy getting him in trouble for the medical procedure and then how he planned to embarrass her at the hospital. Then he told her about the dinner and how he planned on taking her someplace so nice that she would be really impressed. Finally he came to the really difficult part. He told her that they had slept together and how the next morning he denied that he had any feelings for her.  
  
Kerry didn't say anything the entire time and neither did Romano. He finished his story and sat waiting for whatever was going to happen next to happen. It was Romano who started talking, "Are you aware of how many hospital policies you broke by your little stunt?"  
  
John just nodded. Yeah, he was about to be fired.  
  
"Unfortunately for the hospital but fortunately for you we can't do anything to you though. Since Miss. Knight is no longer your student and never was after the incident then there won't be any formal repercussions."  
  
A feeling of relief washed over Carter. They weren't going to fire him.  
  
"However," Romano continued, "There will be severe repercussions for you that are not sanctioned by the hospital. For instance, I know that you were up for Chief Resident, in fact you were the number one pick for that. Not any more though."  
  
His heart sank even lower when he realized how hated he was right now.  
  
Romano scowled at him and then continued telling him the way things were to be, "You are on probation and will not be allowed to have anymore medical students for three years. Any notes that you kept on Miss. Knight while she was your student I'm going to need." He then got up and walked to the door but stopped before opening and turned around. "On a more personal note, I think that you are a dirty bastard for what you did to that poor girl. She's 23, your 30. Grow up Carter." The door slammed and Carter turned back to face Kerry. She didn't look any happier with him then Romano did.  
  
"I have a couple of things that I need to tell you also." She was fidgeting with a paper weight on her desk. "I'm not happy with your behavior but I also think that the hospital is being to hard on you. What you did was horribly wrong but their reasons for doing what they are doing is to cover their own backs."  
  
John sighed and took a weary breath. "Kerry, she's not coming back is she?"  
  
She shakes her head.  
  
"I tried calling her but she moved. I tried to call her mom but she got remarried and her last name isn't Knight and I don't know what her new names is." Kerry interrupted him.  
  
"Don't try to get a hold of her."  
  
"Why? I need to apologize. I don't even know if she is still in Chicago anymore."  
  
Kerry stopped playing with the paperweight. "I don't think that you appreciate the severity of the situation that you created for the hospital and for yourself so I'm going to explain it to you." She pauses and then starts explaining. "You were in a position of power over Lucy. She was your student. Her grade depended on you. She could say that she felt that you would fail her if she didn't sleep with you. The hospital could lose its ability to train medical students. You could lose you license to practice medicine."  
  
"Lucy wouldn't say that."  
  
"Well, before Saturday nobody thought that you would be capable of using a woman or seducing one just to humiliate her."  
  
His eyes shut. He tried desperately not to remember his words to her. He tried not to picture the devastated look in her eyes when he called her 'a cheap fuck'.  
  
"Earth to Carter," he opened his eyes and heard Kerry calling him. "Whoa, you spaced out."  
  
"So you aren't going to tell me how to get a hold of her are you?"  
  
She shook her head. "I'm also going to have to ask you to find another place to live. I don't think that it is appropriate for you to live with me anymore."  
  
He stood up. "You don't trust me do you?"  
  
She looked strait into his eyes. "I don't know. I don't know who you really are."  
  
"I'll be out by the end of the month."  
  
After the meeting with Carter, Romano walked out to the parking garage and left for St. Andrew's hospital on the outskirts of Chicago. He had a lot to do there. When Lucy left the ER she went to his office to tell him that she was resigning from working at the hospital. He demanded a reason and then got to listen as the story poured out and the tears poured out. Her story touched a chord in his heart and he decided that he had to do something. At first she wanted to drop out of school for the semester and finish off her education in Boston or someplace far away from County. Unfortunately with that she would lose a lot classes and her tuition for the year.  
  
Being practical above all Romano decided that he would at least figure out a way for her to finish off the semester in Chicago. Finishing it off at County wasn't even an option. He couldn't blame her for not wanting ever have to see Carter again and it wouldn't be a good learning environment for her or for other students. He explained that to her and sent her home while he made some phone calls to people at other hospitals in the area.  
  
Most of the hospitals that he called had heard through the grapevine already about what had happened and didn't want to have anything to do with Lucy. They considered her too much of a liability. Finally he talked to an old colleague at St. Andrew's who would be delighted to have Lucy on their staff for the rest of the year. There weren't any students there from the med school so nobody would hear the rumors. He did inform the chief of staff what had happened and they decided to assign Lucy to a female physician for the sake of propriety. Romano got off the phone feeling like he had accomplished something. It was a feeling that he loved.  
  
Later that day he called Lucy and told her what was going on. She wasn't delighted with having another hospital to go to. She just wanted to leave Chicago and all the memories of the life that was over for her.  
  
It was three days since all that happened though and now Romano was headed to St. Andrew's to deliver some patient files with a side job of checking on how Lucy was doing. Romano was the only one who knew that she was there and was doing his best to keep it a secret. He also wanted to talk to Dr. Morgan, whom Lucy was assigned to, to determine if it really was in her best interest to stay in Chicago to finish out the term.  
  
Every time he arrived he was amazed by the building. It looked like a castle more than a hospital. It was designed in the early thirties and even though the inside was completely up to date it still was a beautiful building on the outside. He entered the building and gave the files to the desk clerk and then set off to find Dr. Morgan and maybe Lucy herself. He found them both pretty easily in the ER. Lucy was taking a patients medical history and Dr. Morgan was observing her.  
  
Finally they left the room and Romano approached them. He introduced himself and shook Dr. Morgan's hand.  
  
"You're Dr. Romano?" Dr. Morgan asked him with a little laugh in her voice. She looked enough like Lucy to be her mother and he couldn't tell if there was something funny about his name or if she always spoke with a giggle.  
  
"Yes. Is there something funny about that?" he asked her.  
  
She answered that there wasn't with another giggled response. Lucy caught his eye and gave him a look telling him that Dr. Morgan was always like that. Romano rolled his eyes. The woman was beautiful but no matter how beautiful she was that laugh would get on his nerves. "I had to run some files over and wanted to check to see how you were doing here," he tells Lucy.  
  
"Well," Dr. Morgan interjects, "We were getting ready to have lunch. Would you like to join us?"  
  
Lucy was horrified. Having lunch with Dr. Romano! He was nice to her but she had heard so many stories that she preferred to not have to be around him a lot. That was the best way to avoid getting yelled at, the other medical students had explained to her on her first day at County. Much to her mortification though he accepted the invitation and the trio headed down to the cafeteria.  
  
Luckily for her Dr. Morgan and Dr. Romano were on first name basis by the end of the hall and Lucy figured that should could just sit and not have to talk. Dr. Morgan was nice but when you are depressed being around happy people just makes the situation worse. Dr. Morgan was always trying to be nice to her and talk to her about how she was feeling but Lucy never did. She figured that Dr. Morgan wouldn't understand anyway. She was so happy all the time, how could she understand being so sad.  
  
By the time they sat down though Dr. Romano started to talk to her. "Do you like it here?' he asked Lucy.  
  
"Yeah. It's small so I already know all the doctors in the entire hospital. They are all nice."  
  
"And all the doctors here think that Lucy is very talented. We really appreciate you sending her to us, Robert."  
  
Lucy couldn't tell who was blushing more. Her or Dr. Romano. She wasn't used to being told that she was doing things right and she didn't really believe it. All of the doctors had told her that she was doing well and she truly enjoyed working with them. She still couldn't shake the feeling of depression though.  
  
"I'm going to have to give you my new number just in case you need to get a hold of me," Lucy told Romano as she handed him a slip of paper, "Dave came over yesterday and helped me move into a new dorm so I had to get a new telephone number."  
  
Romano's eyebrows almost reached the ceiling. "Dr. Dave helped you move?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I didn't realize that you were two were friends."  
  
"I didn't either but he showed up at my dorm after I left the hospital with flowers. Not being romantic or anything just to be nice and told me that he was sorry that John … uh, Dr. Carter said what he said." She tried to control her voice and not let it crack when she said his name.  
  
"Wow. Who knew Dr. Dave had a soul."  
  
A huge grin burst across her face for the first time in days. "He said the exact same thing about you Dr. Romano."  
  
Romano couldn't help but laugh at himself. "I guess that we never know as much as we think that we do about people."  
  
At the end of dinner Romano said goodbye to Lucy and Virginia Morgan and returned to County feeling like a superhero. He walked into the ER whistling. Dave and Carter were standing at the admit desk talking to Randi. Romano walked over to Dave. Dave turned around to look at him expecting to be yelled at.  
  
"Dave, you're a good person. The world need more people like you," he said and walked off leaving a stunned Dave, Randi, and Carter.  
  
Randi broke the silence, "Dr. Carter being mean to woman and Dr. Romano complimenting Dr. Dave on being a good person. You guys we have entered the twilight zone."  
  
  
  
(Note to readers: I'm going out of town for Easter weekend so it may take me a while to write and post any more chapters. As soon as I get back though I'll be back at my computer.) 


	4. A Decision To Make

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I probably never will. Please don't sue.  
  
Authors note: This follows the show quite loosely so no need to worry about spoilers or anything because there aren't any. The only thing you really need to know is that this happens before the stabbings and before exam room six.  
  
1 A TORTURED BEGINNING  
  
The weeks turned into months for Lucy and she realized that she was happy. Sure, she still missed working at County, but she and Virginia had become somewhat of friends. Every so often she would talk to Dave or go out with him, only as friends. The night with Carter was her last date. It wasn't like she didn't get asked out, she just wasn't interested. Maybe it was the fear of getting hurt again. Maybe she just wasn't attracted to the guys. Maybe she still had feelings for Carter. At this point she didn't care why she didn't want to date anybody, all she cared about was getting through school and becoming a good doctor.  
  
The strangest thing that happened was the fact that she became friends with Dr. Romano. He stopped by the hospital every so often at first to check on her and they would go to lunch. Eventually it became a regular thing. Every Tuesday they would meet at the Chinese restaurant down the street from St. Andrew and have lunch. Sometimes Virginia would join them, or Dave, but most of time it was just the two of them. The conversations usually focused on medicine. She would tell him stories about things that she was learning and about her patients. He would give her advice on how to be a better doctor and tell her who left or came back to the hospital. She found out that Abby not being in med school this semester and about Susan Lewis coming back. She was lucky in the fact that Robert enjoyed telling her gossipy stories as much as she enjoyed listening to them. There was one name that was never gossiped about or mentioned though, Dr. John Carter.  
  
This particular Tuesday Lucy left St. Andrews and headed to meet Robert with some trepidation. She really needed his advice on something. He always gave great advice but she had never before had to ask him advice on such a personal matter. She was afraid that he was going to be disappointed in her. The realization that she looked up to Robert shocked her. Lucy stopped in her tracks when she realized that their relationship wasn't one of two friends but more like a father and a daughter. That comforted her and with a happier attitude she continued on to the restaurant.  
  
He had arrived before her and ordered for them both. She always got Lo Mein and Ice Tea so it was waiting for her when she arrived. They greeted each other and she sat down. Instantly the nervousness that she had earlier returned. He noticed it too.  
  
"What's going on," he asked her as he continued to eat.  
  
She took a deep breath to calm herself down. Tears started to form in her eyes and she had to take another breath. He watched her do that twice.  
  
"For God's sake, it can't be that bad. Just tell me what it is and we'll figure out how to deal with it."  
  
She looked at him and blurted out her secret. "I'm pregnant."  
  
Robert didn't even blink. "Oh. Now I'm glad that I didn't mention that you looked like you had gained weight."  
  
She had expected him to be mad or upset. He was the epitome of calm though. "How can you be so calm? This is a big deal."  
  
"Lucy, woman have given birth to babies since the beginning of mankind. I think that you'll do ok."  
  
She started to laugh. He was always so practical. This time to the point that he missed what the problem was. "I'm not married. I'm not even with the babies father."  
  
"Carter?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, if you decide to keep it then you file for child support and get a couple thousand dollars a month from him to take care of the baby. If you decide to give the baby up then you hold your head up high and don't listen to anything that anyone has to say about the situation because only you know the real story."  
  
"I'm not going to tell him."  
  
"Tell Carter? I think that you should but I don't blame you for not telling him."  
  
"You don't?"  
  
"He was a asshole to you. You owe him nothing. Are you going to keep the baby?"  
  
"That's the hard question. I don't think so. I couldn't give him a proper life. I've still got some school left. I live in a dorm for god sakes."  
  
"It's a boy?"  
  
She nodded and began eating. Now that he knew she felt better. He didn't get mad and he wasn't disappointed in her. Lucy decided that if he had any kids he would be a good father.  
  
"Since it's a boy, you are definitely doing the right thing by giving him up for adoption then."  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
"If you kept him then you'd have to name him after Carter. Another damn John Truman Carter the Seventy fifth or something equally ridiculous. Can that family not think of any other names for males?"  
  
They looked at each other and started laughing.  
  
  
  
Back at County time continued to pass. The people that swore that they would never speak to Carter after what he did to Lucy began to speak to him again. Patients were treated and life returned to normal. He had moved out of Kerry's basement and into an apartment near the hospital. It was nice. He missed having company at home though.  
  
For the first seven months since Lucy left, he had tried to find her. He had even thought about getting a private detective but then realized that he needed to just get over her. He missed her and he felt awful for what he did to her but there wasn't any undoing what was already done. Eight months had gone by without a work from her before he had started dating again. Julie was a Victoria's Secret model and he couldn't help but be attracted to her. After the initial physical attraction wore off though he found out that he actually couldn't stand her. They had nothing in common and no chemistry. The thought of being alone all the time though was too much to for him and he decided to give it some more time.  
  
  
  
Some Tuesdays later Lucy was having her customary lunch with Robert. He had a meeting at the hospital at one o'clock so they decided to eat lunch a little bit closer to County than usual. Lucy had tried so hard to avoid that area in fear of being seen by one of the doctors who would report back to Carter. Now she was even more nervous. She was nine months pregnant and she could only imagine what people would be gossiping about if they saw her.  
  
Robert was punctual as always. They had Mexican for lunch and started chatting like always. Lately he had changed his mind on her not telling Carter about the baby. He thought that maybe she should tell him. It was his baby too. Lucy hated those conversations. She didn't want to have anything to do with him and besides she was giving the baby up for adoption. He would never need to know about it. Robert asked her to at least think about it and she promised him that she would. He paid for the lunch and they departed their separate ways.  
  
She looked at her watch and noticed that she was running late. The El station was another six blocks and she had already had to wait for three lights to change before she could cross the street. Her stomach had been hurting too and she regretted eating Mexican food for lunch. It just had seemed to make it worse. Finally the light she was standing at changed and she slowly ventured into the street.  
  
She never saw the car but she felt the impact of it. 


	5. The Truth

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I probably never will. Please don't sue.  
  
Authors note: This follows the show quite loosely so no need to worry about spoilers or anything because there aren't any. The only thing you really need to know is that this happens before the stabbings and before exam room six.  
  
1 A TORTURED BEGINNING  
  
  
  
She woke up in the ambulance long enough to tell them that she didn't want them to take her to County. Then passed out again. The next time that she woke up she was being wheeled into County and saw Carter running towards her. Oh shit, was all that she could think. That thought was pushed out of her head from the pain though. Her head hurt. Her leg hurt. Her back hurt. Most of all her abdomen hurt. Then she realized that she was in labor.  
  
She felt disconnect with reality as she heard John talking to the paramedics. He hadn't realized who she was. It didn't take long for him to though.  
  
"Miss, how are ….." his voice trailed off as he looked at her face. "Lucy."  
  
"Get away from me," she responded and then passed out again. She heard someone calling her name. They were calling it over and over again. She opened her eyes and saw that she was in exam room six. She looked around. Abby was there, Jing Mei was there and so Carter. John was talking to her in fact. She was trying to listen but she hurt too much.  
  
"Lucy, you need to push, you're in labor." He told her.  
  
She tried to push. It hurt.  
  
He reached up and held her hand. "You are doing really good. I need you to push one more time. Ok?"  
  
She nodded and tried to push again. She heard a baby crying and knew that she could relax. Earlier she didn't think that her body could be any sorer but she had been wrong. Deb handed her the baby and asked if she wanted her to call anybody. She shook her head and cradled her baby. He was so beautiful. Lucy was completely lost in her own world when Robert showed up. Immediately he took over the situation. He yelled at Carter to get out of the room and told Jing Mei to finish the stitches that Lucy needed. She eventually fell asleep and was taken up to the maternity ward. By now she was so tired that she didn't want to do anything but sleep. Robert made sure that the birth certificate was filled out and that the information was kept secret.  
  
  
  
The day had been a stressful one for John. Seeing Lucy had completely thrown him for a loop. He had just gotten over the hope that he would ever get to see her again and then there she was. And pregnant! He couldn't believe that Lucy was now a mother. In a way it devastated him and made him happy. She must have gotten over him and the hurt that he had caused her. Otherwise she wouldn't be in a relationship that was secure enough for her to get pregnant and have a baby. He thought that he had seen a ring. Hadn't he?  
  
It was also heartbreaking. He really liked her. He had told her that he loved her and he thought that he had. It probably was best like this though. Not that it mattered because his chance was over. His chance was gone when she left the hospital that day in August. The oddest thing was Dr. Romano though. When he heard that Lucy was brought in he came right down and knew that she was pregnant even before he saw her.  
  
He stopped thinking about it when he saw Julie sitting in the admit area waiting for him. He was off at 6:30 and they were going out to dinner. She was twenty minutes early though and upset that he wasn't ready to go. This was the sixth time that she had done that this week.  
  
"I told you I didn't get off until 6:30. That means that I can't leave until 6:30," he snapped at her. She doesn't respond but walks over to the waiting area without looking at him. Great, now she's going to be pissed at me all night and is going to pout, he though. Twenty minutes later he came back to find her sitting in the lobby still pouting.  
  
"Are you ready now?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, but if you don't mind I'd like to visit someone here in the hospital first."  
  
She rolls her eyes, "Why would I care, I mean, we are already late for our reservation time." Damn, she pissed him off sometimes. She knew that he didn't get off until 6:30 but she still made a reservation for then. He knew he was going to have break up with her. She didn't respect him or what he did at all. They started off toward the elevator and he hoped that she wouldn't ask him any questions about who they were going to see. It was more then Carter wanted to explain right now.  
  
They stepped on the elevator and Julie started asking questions. "Who are we going to visit?"  
  
"A former student of mine. She had a baby today."  
  
"What's her name?"  
  
"Lucy, you don't know her. She left here before we met."  
  
"Oh, did she graduate?" The questions had started to make Carter uncomfortable but answering them was easier than dealing with her thinking that he was hiding something.  
  
"No, she didn't graduate. I think that she went to go work at another hospital, but I'm not even real sure about that."  
  
"Why did she leave?" Julie could tell that there was a good juicy story in this. Carter was so hard to get gossip out of though. He sighed, he didn't want to get into all this now.  
  
"A member of the staff had a problem with her and ran her off."  
  
Julie knew that this was going to be really good. She just had to keep digging. "Who?"  
  
He looked her in the eye and answered. "Me."  
  
The bell dinged and the elevator stopped on the maternity floor. They walked out and to Lucy's room without talking. Carter knocked on the door and walked in. "Feel like any visitors?" he tentatively asked her. He was nervous and hoped that it didn't show. She stared at him, her beautiful face completely lacking the happiness and warmth that he remembered.  
  
"Get out," was all that she said to him.  
  
Robert was sitting next to the bed and leaned over to her. "Lucy, try to be understanding." She tries to ignore him and cuddles the baby closer to her chest. Finally she looks at him again.  
  
"Why are you here?"  
  
"I came to see how you were doing?"  
  
"We are doing fine." His heart was breaking. They had so much to get over before they could even begin to be friends again. He didn't know where to start. The first step would be to apologize to her but she didn't want to do that with Julie and Romano there. He decided to try though.  
  
"I want to apologize. I'm sorry about my behavior that day. I've felt horrible about it since you left that day."  
  
"I felt pretty bad about it too. But there isn't any reason to apologize because I won't believe it. You're a liar and I don't believe anything you tell me." Lucy pauses and notices Julie for the first time. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Julie. John and I are together," she answers shooting a dirty look and Lucy and the bundle that she was holding. She couldn't believe that this little kid was acting like such a jerk to her boyfriend.  
  
"I'm sorry," Lucy says with a slight smile.  
  
Now Julie was pissed. "Well, I'm sorry that you can't get a handsome charming man like John to be with and have to settle for screwing ugly old men." She sneers at her and looks at Robert.  
  
The irony of the situation was too much for Robert and Lucy. They look at each other and start laughing. "I'm not the baby's father. I'm just a friend of Lucy's from when she worked her at the hospital."  
  
Lucy nods her head agreeing with him. "He's not that old or ugly either."  
  
The situation was lighter now and John decides to take advantage of it. "Can I see your baby?" he asks as he walks over to the bed. She hands him the tiny sleeping baby and he pulls it close to him.  
  
"Oh, Lucy," he exclaims as he looked at the little face in his arms. "He has got to be the most beautiful baby in the world. What's his little name?"  
  
"John Truman."  
  
The room paused knowing that there was more to come.  
  
"I named him after his father." Everything moved in slow motion. John looked at Lucy and back to the baby. His baby. Then back to Lucy. He was going to say something but before he could think of anything to say, Julie broke the silence.  
  
"You lying bitch," she hissed, "You can't make shit like that up!"  
  
John told her to shut up and she storms out of the room. He turns his attention back to Lucy. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"Because I hated you. Because I didn't want to have anything to do with you. I was going to give him up for adoption but from the first moment I saw him it was love. I knew I had to keep him. Even though I wasn't planning on telling you, Robert was in the process of telling me that I had too."  
  
"I'm glad you did. I want to help you raise him."  
  
"I don't want your help!"  
  
"You won't be able to do this on you own," Robert interjected. Practical as always. "How could you support yourself and a baby and go to school?"  
  
"I'll have to take a year or two off."  
  
"Where would you live?"  
  
"I could get an apartment."  
  
"With what money?"  
  
"Lucy," John sat down in a chair on the other side of the bed, still holding their baby. "I know that I've done an awful thing to you and there is no way I can ever make that up to you but please don't deny me the chance to be a father because of it. I have failed you at everything so far. I've failed you as a teacher, as a friend, as a boyfriend, and even as a lover. I promise you that I won't fail as John's father. Please let me be a parent with you."  
  
She starts to cry and reaches out to hold his hand. She squeezes it. "Ok. I'm willing to give you a chance."  
  
His face lights up. "Thank you." He kisses the baby and hands it back to her. He then kisses her on the forehead. "I've got to run some errands now but I'll be back later." John rushes out of the room and to his errands.  
  
Lucy looks at Robert. Completely unsure of whether or not she had done the right thing. He reads her mind. "You did the right thing," he tells her. "He won't screw up this time."  
  
"He hurt me too much before. I'm not going to fall in love with him again. I don't want that feeling again."  
  
"You need to get some rest." He takes the baby and leaves Lucy to contemplate the day and her future. 


	6. A Home

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I probably never will. Please don't sue.  
  
Authors note: This follows the show quite loosely so no need to worry about spoilers or anything because there aren't any. The only thing you really need to know is that this happens before the stabbings and before exam room six.  
  
1 A TORTURED BEGINNING  
  
The next morning Lucy awoke to the females of the ER standing in her room holding colorful presents of all shapes and sizes. She jumped slightly at being startled and regretted it instantly. Her body was so sore from her stitches from getting hit by a car and having a baby the day before. "What are you doing here?" she asked them.  
  
"We work here," Abby answered her and handed her a present. It was a little box wrapped in a light blue paper with tiny baby bottles on it. Lucy looked at her and then everyone else with a questioning look. She couldn't understand why they were all there. Kerry, Jing-Mei, Abby, Elizabeth, Haleh, and Randi. Kerry steps forward and hands her a large rectangular box in a similar baby themed wrapping paper.  
  
"We never got to throw you a baby shower, so we're going to do it now."  
  
Lucy's eyes welled up this tears and she smiled at them. "Well, let's see what my little boy got." In a matter of minutes the floor was covered with pink and blue paper and the bed was covered with blankets, stuffed animals and tiny clothing. The chatting continued even after the presents had been opened and finally someone asked to see the baby. A nurse was sent for him and shortly returned with the tiny bundle. He was passed around and had to experience half a dozen women hugging him and cuddling his little body. John didn't cry at all, he seemed to love the attention.  
  
The subject of the baby's father was avoided even though it was the main subject in the ER. Rumors had been flying constantly since she was brought in pregnant. The list of possible suspects was short, Romano, Carter, Dale, or possible someone that they didn't know. Even though the later was the most likely everyone agreed, it was also the most boring of the potential fathers and therefore the least talked about. Most people didn't believe that it was Romano but rumors concerning him were so popular it still got passed around. Carter was also a very suspect potential father but they assumed that he would have known if it had been his and he hadn't acted like he knew when Lucy was brought in.  
  
Eventually the baby shower ended and everyone returned to work. Except Lucy. Tomorrow was the day she was going to be discharged and she was terrified about what was going to happen. Her body still ached from getting hit and she had no place to go to. She took a nap and decided that tomorrow she would gather the baby and her things and go to a motel for the night. The next morning she and baby John would start to go apartment hunting. Carter hadn't shown back up to the hospital and Lucy assumed that it meant that he wasn't interested in helping. That thought hurt her a little bit but she pushed it out of her mind as she tried to sleep.  
  
Sooner than she wanted morning came and she was discharged. Ignoring the fact that she hadn't seen Carter or heard from him, she decided to leave the hospital. She slung the baby bag over her shoulder and lifted the baby carrier with her good arm. Lucy was halfway to the El station when she heard her name being called out behind her. She turned in the direction of the voice to see John running after her. The sight was amusing. He was wearing dress shoes, slacks, a dress shirt, ties, and suspenders and he was running after her as fast as he could. By the time he caught up to her he was completely out of breath.  
  
"Hey," he said as he panted trying to catch his breath. "I was afraid that you left without telling." He paused a beat and looked at her. "I guess I was right."  
  
"I didn't know that I was supposed to wait for you." She answered somewhat defensively.  
  
He gives her an odd look as her notices everything that she is carrying. "You shouldn't be carrying all of this heavy stuff. You got hit by a car and had a baby just two days ago." He takes the bag off her shoulder and picks up the carrier with John in it. He smiles down at him. "Hey kiddo. Did you miss your dad?"  
  
Lucy laughed. "I never thought that you would be a baby talker."  
  
He looked up at her and blushed. "So," he said as he tried to change the subject, "Where are you headed too?"  
  
"The El and then home."  
  
"Home?"  
  
"My dorm to pick some things up and then John Baby and I were going to a hotel at least until I found an apartment." She looked at him and hoped that she didn't sound pathetic. She didn't want him to think that she was a bad mother.  
  
"I thought that you might try something like that. I'll give you a ride home but first I'd like to show you something, if that's ok." He turned around and headed back to his Jeep. She got in and sat in the front while he strapped the baby seat in, continuing to talk continuously while he worked. "I guess that we are going to need to get a safer family car huh?" he asked her as he climbed into the car and started to drive.  
  
Lucy interrupted him. "I don't understand you. Is all this from guilt? I don't want you to do all this because of a feeling of guilt. I can do this by myself."  
  
"I know you could but I want to be a father. This isn't how I pictured fatherhood but we'll just have to adapt." Lucy didn't respond to his statement. She didn't know how to react to him. She had loved him but now she didn't. She tried to think of this as a business arrangement but when a little person's future was at stake she had to take it more seriously than that. She was sick of thinking about what was going on so instead she tried to figure out where they were headed but he still wouldn't tell him. They continued driving and she recognized the areas that they were diving through but didn't know their destination.  
  
John decided to try and talk to her about some things that needed to be said now that they were alone. "I tried calling you after you left the hospital that day." That was what they had referred to that fateful day as, 'That Day.' It was neutral. The name didn't hint of the pain or sorrow that had been produced or the emotional scars that would always be visible.  
  
"When I left that day I went home, changed dorms rooms, had my number changed and put everyone that I knew under strict orders not to tell you what it was. I didn't want to hear from you." The pain was still evident in her voice as much as it had been as she ran out of the hospital that day. John didn't try anymore conversation until they arrived at their destination. They parked in front of a stately looking brick apartment building and he jumped out of the Jeep grabbing his baby and the bags.  
  
"C'mon. I want to show you this." He smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back. She had always considered his smile contagious. She almost enjoyed the irony of the situation. He was so nervous, almost desperate for her approval. She remembered a time when it was she who was desperate for his approval.  
  
The front door was opened by a doorman who knew John. Lucy realized that they must be at his apartment. Without saying anything she followed him, up a flight of starts and down the hall they went. John fumbled with a key and finally got the door open. On the other side was a nice apartment. Even though his decorating style left something to be desired it was still a breathtaking apartment. Hardwood floors. A huge open living room. A walkout balcony. It was a magazine that should have been in a magazine.  
  
"Why are we at your apartment?" He took her by the hand pulled her back to one of the bedrooms and flung the door open. He just stood and watched her as she looked at the room. It took Lucy's breath away. The room was painted a delicate blue and was filled with white wicker baby furniture. There was a baby bed with a colorful quilt covering it and a stuffed bunny rabbit. A changing table, a dresser, and a tiny bookcase filled with children's books. Her favorite part was the rocking chair by the picture window overlooking the park though.  
  
"John. Wow. I can't believe you did all this the last couple of nights. Actually, I can still smell the paint so I can believe it." Her heart suddenly sank though, how could she ever provide like John like his father could for him.  
  
"He's going to love spending the night with you. It's so beautiful."  
  
"There's more," he told her as he pulled her to the next bedroom. The previous room had surprised her but the next room floored her. The door swung open and inside was her room. Literally. Sitting in the middle was her bed, with her sheets on it, and in her bookcase were her book. Her pictures were hung on the wall. Her pens were sitting in the pen holder on her desk. Even her "Little Mermaid" calendar was there she realized somewhat embarrassed. She couldn't believe it.  
  
"What's going on?" she asked him evenly.  
  
"I want you and John to stay here. I want to see him every morning and wake up in the middle of the night to help you feed him and all those other fatherly things. Please stay with me until we can figure something else out." He pauses and looks at her. "Please."  
  
She stared back at him. Something about his manner touched her, maybe it was how hard he was genuinely trying. Maybe it was how he really seemed to care about John. Maybe she still loved him and wanted to give him another chance. She hoped it wasn't that. She didn't want to love him. Lucy decided to not think about why she agreed to stay there but she suddenly found herself agreeing.  
  
"Only until we can find some other arrangement."  
  
He engulfed her in a huge hug and spun her around. "Thank you." She extracted herself from his arms and pushed him away.  
  
"Don't be like this to me," she tells him.  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Don't hug me, don't touch me, don't treat me like your girlfriend. We are nothing. This is simply a living arrangement for the time being. We can think of it like I'm living here in lei of child support for now." 


	7. Meet the Parents

AUTHORS NOTE: I was away from my computer all summer but I did a ton of thinking and have some great stories planned after I finish this one. Sorry to make everyone wait for an update for so long. I should have another chapter ready in about a week.  
  
  
  
That was the way she had intended it to go. She had intended to stay only a short time with John and find a place of her own for Jack and herself but three months later she was still there. She would never admit it to anybody but she really enjoyed living there. They formed a makeshift family with everybody playing a role. Carter was the father, the breadwinner. He supported the family while Lucy continued going to school. They tried to arrange their schedules so that somebody could always be home to watch baby Jack, and if they couldn't then Dave would baby-sit and in a real pinch Robert would spend the day with the baby.  
  
Dave would refer to their lives as the "twisted world of Ozzie and Harriet." Each was desperate for some type of family as neither had one at the moment. Lucy was an only child who never knew her father and had lost her mother a year ago in a car accident. Carter's family pretended like he didn't exist. They were still angry at him for going into medicine rather than business and hadn't spoken to him since Chase overdosed. So they desperately hung onto the present situation of playing mom and dad having Dave and Robert as the supporting actors in their lives.  
  
Lucy's hostility towards Carter had diminished over the months but was still present. She had decided that she had forgiven him for what he did but she couldn't bring herself to let it go. She was civil to him but not much more than that.  
  
The first sign that eventually everything would change happened unexpectedly on a Friday afternoon. Lucy was sitting at home reading to Jack when the there was a knock on the door. She answered it to see an older man and woman standing in the hall. The man was handsome with salt and pepper hair and blue eyes. The woman was beautiful with a graceful and reserved look. Lucy instantly knew who they were. Everything about them reeked of money and easy living. John's parents.  
  
"Hi. Can I help you?" she asked.  
  
"Is John here?" the woman asked as she walked in and sat on the couch. In the process of sitting down she knocked all of John's toys and books off the couch. The man followed her and sat next to her. Lucy was startled. She couldn't believe the nerve of this woman! She shut the door.  
  
"He should be here any minute now." She answered, desperately trying to remain calm.  
  
"Fine. We'll wait here."  
  
Lucy took a deep breath and went into the kitchen trying to not let the woman upset her. She was fixing Jack a peanut butter sandwich when she heard Carter come in. He must not have seen them right away because she heard the woman say, "Hi John" and heard him swear.  
  
"Shit. Mom. Dad. What are you doing here?"  
  
"We came to see you. And I really must comment on your hired help, she is horrible. Didn't even offer us a drink or anything. Look at this, she has all of her kids stuff all over the place."  
  
Lucy came out of the kitchen still holding the jar of peanut butter and a bag of bread.  
  
"Hired help!" she yelled, "You better set her straight John because I am not the hired help. I live here."  
  
The Mrs. Carter's expression didn't change as she looked Lucy up and down. Taking in the peanut butter, bread, flannel pajama pants, white tee shirt, and fuzzy pink bunny slippers. She looked back at John as she asked, "When did you start taking in wayward teens John?"  
  
The jar of peanut butter smacked Mrs. Carter in the forehead. "Wayward teenager! Fuck you." Lucy turned and stormed out of the living room scooping up her son on the way and slamming the bedroom door.  
  
"Who does that girl think that she is?" she demanded.  
  
"Mom. Calm down a minute. Shit. I'll be right back and I'll explain." He ran over to try and retrieve Lucy from her room. He walked in to find her changing into a dress.  
  
"Lucy, I'm sorry about my mother. I can't explain it and I won't try but I can apologize."  
  
She looks at him. "Don't worry about it."  
  
"If you have a minute I'd like you to come out so I can introduce you to my parents."  
  
"Fine. I'm not going to say I'm sorry for throwing the peanut butter at her though."  
  
She picks the baby up and they walk into the living room. Lucy finds herself in a staring contest with Mrs. Carter.  
  
"Mom. Dad. I'd like you to meet Lucy and my son, Jack."  
  
The woman blinked and Lucy smiled slightly as she realized that she won the staring contest. His dad was the first one to speak.  
  
"When did you get married?"  
  
"We aren't married. We are just friends."  
  
"My god John, you should at least marry the girl if you got her pregnant."  
  
"He offered but I refused." Lucy jumped in as she suddenly started feeling very protective of him.  
  
"How could you let this happen?" his mother asked.  
  
"Accidents happen," his father tried to explain.  
  
His mothers glare was piercing, "Just another humiliation that you've caused the family. A bastard son."  
  
Lucy couldn't believe how mean his mother was to him. From what she had heard these were the first family members that he had seen or heard from in three years and they were treating him like shit. They disgusted her.  
  
"Excuse me but I will not allow you to speak to him like that in our house."  
  
"And what say do you have in how I speak to my children. You won't even marry him."  
  
"That's not the issue."  
  
"It certainly would be an interesting one though. It totally supports my stance that he is nothing but a failure. Really, the kid that he knocked up won't even marry him."  
  
"I won't marry him because he's a spiteful mean vindictive arrogant little bitch. I can't really blame him for that now that I've met you though because now I see that it must be genetic and he can't help it. Now get out of my house." She walked over to the door and opened it. Mr. and Mrs. Carter walked out and Lucy shut it behind them. When she turns back around she sees John on the couch with the baby on his lap. She can't read his face but she knows that he must be hurt. After a minute of watching each other he breaks the silence.  
  
"Do you really think I'm a little bitch?" he asks.  
  
She laughs and sits beside him on the couch. "She's the little bitch. You're great," she grins at him, "Comparatively speaking of course."  
  
"Thanks for standing up for me like that. Every time I get around them I revert back to same person I was when I was ten and had done something to upset her. I never say anything. I just stand there and take it."  
  
"Why do you think that they showed up here?"  
  
"I can't even imagine. I doubt that it was anything important. They probably aren't even aware that the rest of the family isn't speaking to me."  
  
"John, sometimes I think that you are one screwed up person but now I think that for all you must have grown up with maybe you're ok."  
  
"Well, maybe you are ok too. Do you want to go out to dinner tonight and celebrate the fact that we're both ok?"  
  
Lucy breaks eye contact with him and looks at the floor. He notices that her mood has changed. "What," he asks.  
  
"Actually, I was wondering if you would be ok to watch John for the evening?"  
  
"Sure, why?"  
  
"I've got a date."  
  
"A date?" he asks not sure that he heard her correctly.  
  
"Yeah. My first one in about a year and a half."  
  
John quickly sits up a little bit and tries to act unconcerned with the prospect of Lucy going on a date. No need to pout about it, he thinks to himself.  
  
"So who is the lucky guy?" he asks trying to fake some enthusiasm.  
  
Lucy responds to his change in mood and cheers slightly. "A rotating doctor at the hospital. Doug Werr. I really don't know him very well but everyone at the hospital says that he really likes me. I figure that I'll give it a chance. Don't worry, I doubt I'll be running of to Vegas tonight to get married or anything."  
  
"Make sure he takes you someplace nice."  
  
She laughs. "I will," she says as she walks off to finish getting ready and Carter turns on the TV to distract himself from his jealous thoughts.  
  
At five till seven Lucy was sitting on the couch dressed in a red halter top dress and heels. Her hair was pulled up in a twist and a few stands that had fallen out were tucked behind her ears. She looked nervous and John was in too much of a funk to try and calm her down. At fifteen past seven, which was fifteen minutes after her date was supposed to arrive he started to feel bad for her. She's nervous enough without the idiot being late, he thinks to himself.  
  
"You look nice tonight," he comments without removing his eyes from the TV set. "That is not your usual date outfit though."  
  
She gives him an odd look. "And what would my usual date outfit be?"  
  
"The black skirt and sweater." She continues to give him a blank look. "You know, the one you wore on our first and last date."  
  
"I can't believe you remember what I wore that night."  
  
"I remember everything about you from that night." He pauses. "Anyway, I figured that girls wear the same outfit on all first dates."  
  
"Actually I burned that outfit." She pauses. "Besides I was cute and without baggage then. Now I have a son, I'm living with the baby's father, and I have childbearing hips, I figure I'm going to need all the help I can get." The silence became almost unbearable and John finally got up with the excuse that he was going to change Jack's diaper. By then it was twenty five after seven and Lucy had begun to stare at her watch wondering what could be keeping Doug. The knock at the front door startled her so much that it took her a second to calm her breathing before she could open the door.  
  
"Hi Doug. How are you?"  
  
"Wow. Lucy, you look fantastic."  
  
"Thanks, let me get my purse and I'll be ready to go."  
  
He steps in the door for a second and looks around. "This place is great. Medical students are living better than they did in my day."  
  
"Actually, it's not my place. It's my roommates."  
  
"Is she a cutie too?"  
  
"He is pretty cute but I doubt he's your type."  
  
"He?" Doug's tone turns less playful and very serious.  
  
"Yeah. Long story. I'll tell you all about it over dinner."  
  
Just as they get to the door to walk out Jack starts crying.  
  
"Does 'he' have a baby?"  
  
"Um, no. The baby is mine. Would you like to meet him?"  
  
Doug looks at his watch. "I almost forgot. I have a meeting in the morning that I'm not prepared for I better take a rain check for tonight and we can maybe do this some other time. Goodnight." The door closes before Lucy can say anything. She is left staring at the door understanding what happened but not wanting to. A few minutes later Jack stops crying and she can hear John walking into the living room.  
  
"Lucy, he was a creep."  
  
"I just got dumped."  
  
"His loss. Not yours. You can do a million times better than that bastard. A million times better."  
  
"I'm twenty three years old with a baby and with no prospects of romance in the future. Eventually I would like to get married and all that but I'm beginning to realize that won't be in my future."  
  
"There are so many men in this world that would cut off a limb for a chance to marry you. Don't stress about the fact that some dillweed wasn't man enough to date a woman with a son. You are a beautiful woman with so much to offer the world. Someday you will meet your prince charming. Believe me, it wasn't him."  
  
She walks over to him and gives him a hug. He hugs her back. "Since you are all dressed up I think that we should go out to dinner. Give me ten minutes to change and dress Jack and we will be off."  
  
She smiles at him. "That would be great." 


End file.
